Pilot casing for a locomotive



Aug- 3, 19v37 w. c. MEYER ET A1. 2,089,152

PILOT CASING FOR A LOGOMOTIVE Filed July 17, 1956 4 sheets-Sheet 1 FIC?? I.

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS WLM/Lam. L'. MZ;

W. C. MEYER ET AL PILOT GASING FOR A LOCONIOTIVEv Filed July 17, 193e;

Aug. 3, 1937.

Aug. 3, 1937. w. c. MEYER ET Al.

PILOT CASING FOR A LOCOMOTIVE Filed July 17, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENToRs: WLZLwLm, M2

TORNE YS.

Patented Aug. 3, 1937 l UNITED STATES- PILOT cAsING Fon A LoCoMoTIVE William C. Meyer and David It. Ohlwiler, A ltoona, Pa., assignors to The Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a ycorporation of Pennsylvania Application July 17, 1936', serialNo. 91,153

Claims.

Our invention relates generally to pilots for railway vehicles and more specifically to coupler doors in pilot casings. j

In the development of railway vehicles, stream- Y 5 lining has become an important factor calling for the removal of surface obstructions generally. The desirability of smoothing out the surface of the pilot is, however, not due to streamline requirements alone. It is now well recognized that l0 there is great danger that objects coming into `.contact with a pilot will catch thereon and be Y carried along on the pilotunless the pilot is provided with smooth deilecting surfaces., It is thus obvious that the advantage of. smoothness in and about a locomotive pilot is a most desirable end in view of both streamlining and the actual operation of the pilot.

The front coupler of a locomotive presents a difficult obstacle in the Way of maintaining the continuity of the pilot surface. Inventors have tried to overcome this obstacle by housing the coupler .inthe pilot in such a way that the outer surface of the housed coupler 'conforms to Ithe surface contour of the pilot around the coupling. With this in mind the general object of 'our invention may be stated'as the smoothing out of the surface of pilots, particularly in the region of the pilot coupler. f

O'ur invention in accomplishing thisl object departs from the other means heretofore considered for this purpose, in thata pilot casing is provided outside the pilot and coupler and this is made possible by a specially devised door in the region of the coupler. It is clear that if -a pilot casing is adopted, some door is necessary and further that such al door must in itsv closed position be very close to the coupler. If the pilot casing and door are not placed close to the pilot, there will not be sumclent operating clearance between the vehicle coupled. Thus the more specific objects of our invention are concerned with a coupler door in a' pilot casing. 1

Such adoor must 'lock vsecurely into the sur'- rounding` pilot casing; it Vmustclose easily and provide an unbroken surface; it must be close to the coupler and pilot beam 'when the door is closed;v it must open easily land be housed securely in the open position; and it must be simple specific objects of our invention which is genfrom the following detailed description oi' one Y in structure and operation. These are themore (Cl. 10S-2) embodiment of our invention, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings.

Fig. I is a side view of the front portion of a locomotive equipped vwith a streamline casing Aextending over the pilotas a pilot casing. 5

` Fig. II is a front view of the same.

Fig. III is a partial end view taken'as indicated .by the lines III- IU of. Fig..I and showing the coupler door in the pilot casing.

Fig. IV is a vertical sectional view taken about the lines IV--IV of Figs. II, III and V, showing in dotted lines the coupler door in the open position. z

Fig. V is a horizontal sectional view taken about the lines V-V of Figs. II and IV.

Fig. VI is a vertical sectional view taken about 'the lines VI-VI of Fig. V, showing the coupler door partly openA with the roller engaging its guide.

Fig. VII is a fragmentary view of a portion of the coupler door in its open position resting against an angle. iron which constitutes a stop Fig. VIII is afragmentary sectional view taken about the lines VIII-VIII of Fig. III showing howgthe guidesy in which the door operates join into the framing around the door opening in the pilot casing.

Fig. IX is a sectional view vtaken about the lines IX-IX of Fig. vIV showing the way in which the door rollers are mounted on the coupler ldoor and how the rollers operate 'in the roller guides.

For the purposes of a detailed description, our invention will be regarded generally as comprising a coupler door l, door rollers 2, roller guides 3 and fulcrum points 4, all set in a background composed of a pilot casing 5, and a pilot 6, including'a pilot beam 1. In the interest of clarity the pilot coupler is not shown but it occupies its usual place in the central part of the pilot and is pertinent' only as background. The uncoupling mechanism, identied comprehensively by the numeral. I 0, is also background; it Vis described in detail in an application for United States Letters Patent led July 17, 1936 by Herman G. Larson under Serial No. 91,158.

I'he coupler door. l is spaced closely to the coupler and the whole casing 5 is likewise close tothe pilot 6. 'Ihis provides a sturdy-backing to the casing 5 in case ,of severe collisions. The .door lcomprises a frame |.I composed of angle irons to which a strongsheetmetal face I2 '1s secured. The face I2 is formed to tinto the general surface contour of the streamlining of 55 tends beyond the the pilot casing 5. The opening in the pilot casing 5 into which the door I ts is framed by top strip I3, bottom angle iron I5 and side angle irons I4, I6. The side angle irons I4, I6 are in two pieces with the upper pieces offset outwardly to the side to provide fulcrum points 4 on the upper ends of the two lower pieces I4. The fulcrum points 4 are the upper ends of the lower pieces of the side angle irons I4 and I6 and these fulcrum points 4 extend under the side edges of the door I. Since the upper pieces of s ide angle irons I4 and I5 are offset to allow the door I to pass therebetween, the door I as it is swung back o r forward will pivoton points 4 as fulcrum points. It should be noted that the face-I2 exdoor frame II and' that the casing 5 around the door opening is recessed a corresponding amount. However, the upper ends of the side angle irons I4 are oiset sufficiently vto allow the top of the door I to swing inwardly through the door opening, about the fulthe fulcrum points 4.

. cured at their front ends the pilotcasing 21 behind thecasing handles of the uncoupling apparatus III. Thel crum points 4.

Bolted tothe upper parts of the 'sides of the door frame II are roller carriers I9 on which are mounted the` rollers 2. These rollers 2 t onto` the guides 3 as the door I swings open about These guides 3 are mounted over the pilot 6 and curve upwardly at the middle in order to facilitate the operation of the door I. The top part of the door I should be raised as the door I is moved inwardly because of the necessity of clearing the fulcrum points 4. Then as the door I approaches the horizontal, it becomes desirable to have the ftop part lowered again. This is all taken care of by the cur.-

vature of the guides 3. These guides 3 are sethe side angle irons I4 near the fulcrum points 4. Because the rollers 2 project laterally beyond the edges of the door opening, the door I cannot accidentally fall v*out of the door opening during'operation.

When the door-.I is shut, it is locked in place at its bottom edge by two ordinary 4locking devices 25 operable by handles 26 which fold down when not in use into,circul`ar recesses in the face I2 of the door I. These handles are a convenient means for lifting Athe door I in opening fand closing it. The door' I is further locked in place by bolts 21 near the upper corners of and behind the door I. through registered holes in the frame I I and the sideangle irons I4. Hinged access doors 28 in 5 provide access to these 5, as well' as access to the door is retained in its open position by the stop means 30 which take projecting metal pieces attached to the top of the pilot 5, see door I simply abuts against the stop means 30 until lifted up and over them as the door I is pulled-forward in closing. Y

'I'he operation of the above described inven-v tion is as follows: -To open the door I, the bolts 21.are first unbolted doors 28. The handles 26 are then grasped and the lower edge of the and upwardly. This results in rotating thedoor I about the ful'crum points 4 until, the rollers 2 to the lower pieces of These bolts 21 extend bolts the f oim of two upwardly Fig. VII. The bottom edge of the by means of the access."

door I'is pulled outwardly' engage the guides 3. The top of the door I is now clear of the casing 5 and the door I is then pushed to the rear, the curvature in the guides 3 aiding in getting around the fulcrum points 4. As the guides 3 curve down at their rear ends the door I will tend to come to rest in its open position. By positioning the bottom edge ofthe door I behind the stop means 30, the door I is securely retained in the open position. To close the door the above operation is simply reversed. 1g Thus our invention issimple in construction and operation. It provides a` smooth surface for the pilot. The advantages of having the casing close to the pilot proper are directly due to the f l 1. In a front end construction for a railway ve-` i hicle a pilot beam, a pilot casing in advance door in said casing, a roller'attached to the upper porthereof and supported thereonfa coupler tion of said door, a'guide extending rearwardly from adjacent the side of said door and over said. pilot beam to receive said roller, and a fulcrum point attachedvto said casing below said roller for contacting the inside of said doorwhen 2. The invention of claim 1 characterized further by a stop means for holding said door in the open position,A said stop means providing an abutment to receive the bottom and forward' edge of the door in its open position.

3. The invention of claim 1 characterized f'urdisposed behind the ther by a locking means casing adjacent lthe side 'edge of said4 door for locking the doorishut, and an access door in said pilot casing near said locking means for access to s aid locking means.

4. The invention of claim 1 characterized by-a locking means for locking the ,door shut at its,

top and bottom portions, said'locking means firmly locking said door to said pilot casing.

5. In combination, with a `pilot of a yrailway vehicle having a pilot casing and a coupler mounted on -said pilot, a coupler door in said casing spaced closely working clearance for said couplerv when said coupler door is in the raised position, a roller attached to the door, said rollers extending behind said door and laterally beyond thev side edges thereof to4 a point behind the pilot casing proper, a guide for each of said rollers attached to the pilot and extending rearwardly from said door, i'ulcrum points positionedxon the casing and adapted to engage the inner side of said door at points near the edges thereof and below said rollers during the operation of the door inopening and closing,

each said guides-being upwardly curved at ,the

middle thereof with the end nearestthe door in proximity to one of said fulcrum points, a stop means for ho'lding said door in its open position, and a locking means for holding said door in its closed position.

WILLIAM C. MEYER. DAVID R. OI-ILWILER.-

to said coupler to allow a saiddoor is being operated in opening and closing.

the upper part of` each side edge of 

